I have a question about pc gaming/steam

[SAWYER]

I dont play pc games and pretty clueless on them. I created a steam account because of all the crazy sales I hear about. My current pc is just an internet machine and cant play games. I just saw on humblebundle.com that Going Home is on sale fo4 4.99 and heard it is really good. If I buy it now can it be added to steam? I thought I read that you can add games from other places to steam awhile back. Would there even be a point to add it to a steam account?

 

[SMOGZINN]

I would have to check, but I think the humble store does offer steam codes. If that is the case then yes, you can add it to your steam account.

The point of having your games on steam is that steam will keep track of all your games, and on many games even back up your save games, and when ever you want to play a game it is a simple process of clicking the download button and, mattering on the size of the game and your internet connection, it is ready to play in a few minutes. No messing with disks or DRM (Steam is a form of DRM, but for the most part you never notice it.)

Oh, and the big winter steam sell should be starting any day now.

 

[rivethead]

Oh, and the big winter steam sell should be starting any day now.

Tomorrow to be exact.

 

[slpnshot]

The point of having your games on steam is that steam will keep track of all your games, and on many games even back up your save games, and when ever you want to play a game it is a simple process of clicking the download button and, mattering on the size of the game and your internet connection, it is ready to play in a few minutes. No messing with disks or DRM (Steam is a form of DRM, but for the most part you never notice it.)

I never really thought about it, but can you add games that aren't sold by steam to the steam library? Games like Mass Effect 3? Would you be able to download the game through steam if the game is not up for sale through their steam store?

 

[Savatar]

I never really thought about it, but can you add games that aren't sold by steam to the steam library? Games like Mass Effect 3? Would you be able to download the game through steam if the game is not up for sale through their steam store?

Yes, this works for some games but not others. I was able to unlock Mafia 2 on steam with my retail version... but some other games that are on Steam didn't unlock. I am not sure what makes it work or not, but it is worth trying! You can find a list of games at the URL below.

Source: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601

EA games like Mass Effect 3 won't unlock if they're not also sold on Steam, though. EA uses Origin, which is their own proprietary system for their games, and they refuse to play nice with Steam. So, for Mass Effect 3 specifically, you can't register it on Steam (which is required to be able to download it from their servers)... you'd have to use Origin.

 

[SAWYER]

Sounds like a mess

 

[runzwithsizorz]

Humble Bundle dors use Steam for most games. I recently bought 6 games as a gift, and all but one of them were offered through Steam.

The Wife

 

[NickelPlate]

 

[Yreka]

Sounds like a mess

Its not that bad..

"add games that aren't sold by steam" could mean one of two things.

a. I bought a steam code from somewhere other than steam, and would like to add it to my Steam Entitlement Library
b. I bought a retail version of the game (boxed version, or digital download from Uplay, Origin) and want to add it to my Steam Entitlement.

If a., once you plug in the code into Steam, the game will activate just like you bought it from the Steam Store.
If b., things can get trickier as discussed above.

Good news is 95% of what most people want to play is already on steam, so its not a big deal.

As mentioned, most of the games on Humble Bundle are steam codes. Games that "unlock" via steam will have the steam logo on them. Going Home has this logo so your experience would look like this.. Sign up for steam account, sign up for humble bundle, register steam account (on HB), buy game, click "activate on steam". From there, it appears in your library (Steam) ~ click to DL and play just like Smogs said.

Other stores also sell these "steam codes", Amazon, Gamefly, Greenman, etc and they always work the same way... Get a key, plug it into steam and they are attached to your account indefinitely. You just need to make sure they have the steam logo, or "steamworks" DRM and you're good.

 

[Martimus]

Beyond that, it isn't like you can't play the game if it doesn't activate on Steam. All that would do is mean you wouldn't need to play the game through Steam, which can be a good thing. Humble Bundle items have no DRM, so they shouldn't cause any issues with your system, but they won't automatically update to newer versions like they do on Steam.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I never really thought about it, but can you add games that aren't sold by steam to the steam library? Games like Mass Effect 3? Would you be able to download the game through steam if the game is not up for sale through their steam store?

Some games you can. Others, such as a lot of EA and Ubisoft games require their client as well. Some specifically require the publisher's client and cannot be added to Steam. ME3 is one of those games.

Far Cry 3 OTOH annoyingly requires UPlay in addition to steam to play it on steam. I was quite irritated after I bought the game from steam during the last sale, and found I had to install Uplay as well. So it varies from game to game. I believe some of the games I recently got from a Humble Bundle did include steam codes, but I do not remember for sure.

 

[rivethead]

Humble Bundle items have no DRM, so they shouldn't cause any issues with your system

Is this accurate? I seem to recall the EA Humble Bundle required Steam or Origin activation.

 

[Chime]

Is this accurate? I seem to recall the EA Humble Bundle required Steam or Origin activation.

Yeah, it's hit or miss these days on whether games in the Humble Bundle have DRM. Some do, some don't.

 

[Martimus]

Is this accurate? I seem to recall the EA Humble Bundle required Steam or Origin activation.

You are right that some of their bundles have games that require Steam (and one required Origin for a few games). I have bought every bundle to date for some reason, and the vast majority still are DRM free. I find that nice, so that when my daughter likes one of the Indie games I try out from the bundle,,I can just install it on her computer without having to buy it again. Still I spend $10 on every bundle, and I am finding I rarely play any of the games I buy anymore since I have way too many.